Halladay’s No Hitter and Its Place in Post Season History

When asked if he thought Roy Halladay was hungry to pitch in the playoffs, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel responded, “I think he’s starving”.

After 13 seasons and nearly 2,300 innings without throwing a pitch in October, Halladay not only devoured the Cincinnati Reds lineup, but also took a big bite out of history. By joining Don Larsen as the only other pitcher to throw a no hitter in post season play, Halladay has pretty much assured himself of baseball immortality, regardless of what he does over the rest of his career.

Although his accomplishment was naturally compared to Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, it is worth noting that neither man’s effort ranks as the best pitching performance in post season history. According to game score, that distinction belongs to Roger Clemens, who gave up only one hit while striking out 15 Mariners in game four of the 2000 ALCS. Also ahead of Larsen and Halladay on the list are extra inning efforts by the Orioles Dave McNally and Red Sox’ Babe Ruth. Perhaps the most amazing thing about Ruth’s performance in that game, however, was that he went 0-5 at the plate.

Of course, Halladay’s performance came in the opening round of a series, which arguably doesn’t come with the same amount of pressure as a do or die game seven (or five in an LDS). After considering that context, Sandy Koufax takes over the mantle of the most “clutch”, if not the best, performance in the post season.

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No matter how you slice it, Halladay’s no hitter in his post season debut will go down as one of the greatest games ever pitched. He has company, however, which is what really makes outing like his so much fun in the first place. They not only live in the moment, but ring throughout baseball history. So, whether the site of Carlos Ruiz charging to the mound evokes memories of Yogi jumping into the arms of Larsen, or Halladay’s dominance reminds you of the Rocket’s performance in Seattle, baseball’s post season lineage lives on.